I Dream of Florence / / I Dream in Florence

I keep thinking I’ve just had my best day here, only to wake up to a day that tops it. A day when then sun is shining and the sky is saturated blue and the clouds are white as cotton balls suspended overhead. A day when everything is so sprightly green despite the fact that… Continue reading Afternoons at the Boboli

I’m sitting with my back rested up against the smooth stone of a centuries old building. The sun is shining down through the piazza, peaking out from behind the columned statue in its center. A band has begun to set up right in front of me at the base of the statue. People are passing… Continue reading Late Afternoon in Piazza Santa Trinita

I often find myself heading back to my apartment just as the day is starting to wind down, that quiet hour between sunset and twilight. As the sun readies itself to set and the tourists meander back to their hotel rooms to get ready for the night’s dinner, there’s a lazy, indulgent vibe in the… Continue reading A Life That’s Good

I’ve been fortunate enough to have quite a few visitors come through in the last few weeks here in Italy, with the promise of more to come. As a solo traveler, I’ve certainly gotten used to moving at my own pace and doing most everything according to my own preference, mood, or idea at the… Continue reading What’s Mine is Yours

I’m sitting here in my apartment on a Friday night eating strawberries. Strawberries that taste so good, they are bringing me to tears. It’s like I’ve been eating a poor imitation of what strawberries are truly meant to taste like my entire life. While this is an awesome (albeit damning) revelation in itself, it also… Continue reading Friday Night In: Crying, Eating Strawberries

I’ve just come back from a three day trip to Paris where I met up with some of my dearest friends from home on a leg of their vacation. The city is magnificent and striking in the most charming of ways, with the richest foods and sweetest treats on every corner. Although I’ve been to… Continue reading Like Home

It came as a bit of a surprise to me that in speaking with my family after my last blog post, some concern was expressed regarding my overall well-being here in Italy. In their minds, the fact that I’m alone and admitting to some of my fears is cause for worry. But on the contrary,… Continue reading Mi Mancate Molto

Being here on my own certainly gives me the opportunity to be alone with my thoughts as they say. In many ways I think it’s forcing me to come to terms with some of the inherent character flaws that I’ve up to this point accepted as permanent personality traits. It’s become infinitely clearer to me… Continue reading Bursting the Bubble

Throughout this process – in thinking it through on my own, in asking for advice, and even in receiving unsolicited advice – the fear of judgment from the outside has been an omni-present stressor. I’ve questioned myself and my decisions, afraid that my potential mistakes would prove everyone else right. If I took a wrong… Continue reading Departures & Arrivals: Il Dolce far Niente